Hello and welcome to Pines with Aquinas. My name is Matt Fraed. I'm glad you're here for today's debate.

We have a debate here today on whether the doctrine of papal primacy given at Vatican I is true to apostolic tradition.

We have both Father Patrick and Eric Ibarra who will be debating this issue. I'm not going to spend much time reading bios if you'd like to read the bios of the two gentlemen you can check that out below.

Thank you so much Father and Eric for being here.

We're going to begin with 20 minute opening statements and so Eric if you'd like whenever you'd like to begin do you have your own way of timing this Eric or it's okay.

I don't but I think it's roughly going to be 20 minutes. No problem at all. All right. Feel free to begin whenever.

Thank you. The question before us today is whether the doctrine of papal primacy as formulated at the Council of Vatican I is taught in apostolic tradition.

Let me begin by defining the Council's definition. The Council's decree passed their eternus which means the eternal shepherd referring to Jesus Christ gives a definition in four parts.

These four parts describe one the institution two permanence three nature and four infallible prerogative of papal primacy.

I will explain each of these briefly the institution the Council states that the Apostle Peter was given a primacy over the universal church of God directly and immediately from Jesus Christ the eternal shepherd.

The permanence in order to maintain the church's episcopal government as one and undivided the this universal primacy must be permanent as a perpetual principle of unity until the end of time.

Fixed in the bishopric of the Roman church according to the authoritative design of Jesus Christ.

The nature this primacy is universal and jurisdictional or legally binding. This jurisdiction is immediate direct and ordinary over the whole church of God.

This is founded upon the fact that full power to govern the church was directly given to Peter with no intermediation as such Peter and the person of his successors.

The supreme judge of all the faithful and is free to exercise his authority at will.

Infallible prerogative included in this primacy is the supreme power of teaching or magisterium on certain conditions.

The Pope can propose unchallengable teaching that is protected from all error and which must be adhered to with the ascent of faith.

The refusal of which would result in excommunication.

My job is to present a case for how this definition of primacy is taught in the apostolic tradition.

What is the apostolic tradition for our purposes. We may simply say that apostolic tradition is the faith delivered by the apostles to the church to be guarded and safely transmitted by their successors, the visions.

The contents of apostolic tradition for both Catholics and Orthodox are contained in divine revelation as given in scripture and tradition.

Therefore, if the Vatican Council's definition of papal primacy is sufficiently implied in scripture and tradition, then this debates resolution is upheld and demonstrated.

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